All Disciplines
Number of recipients
In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities.
Teaching might include co-teaching, guest lectures, workshops and seminars. Grantee will be expected to teach at undergraduate and graduate levels, advise students, assist with faculty and curriculum development, support students conducting research, engage in activities at Baku American Center, and other public lectures or trainings.
For teaching/research grants, no more than 50% of the grant activity should be related to research.
For professional or artistic projects in the scholar's area of expertise, projects may include professional consultations, mentoring, preparation of print materials (books, articles, reviews), exhange of experience with other professionals, regional outreach, participation in public events, and delivery of public lectures. Professionals can be affiliated with non-government organizations in their area of expertise.
Scholars selected for this grant will be required to attend a mandatory Pre-Departure Orientation in Summer 2023.
Higher education institutions in the capital city, Baku, and the regions of Ganja, Sumgayit, Lenkaran and Nakhchivan. Post gives preference to placing scholars in public universities over private universities.
Higher Education in Azerbaijan
List of Universities in Azerbaijan
Large Public and Private Universities located in Baku:
Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC)
Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University
Regional Universites:
Azerbaijan State Agricultural University
Azerbaijan Technology University
Artists and professionals may be affiliated with non-academic institutions including non-governmental organizations and art centers.
Four months for one-semester grants or nine months for academic-year grants. For Flex grants, see Flex Options box.
September-December 2023 (excluding examination period) for fall-semester grants; February-May 2024 for spring-semester grants; mid-September 2023-June 2024 for academic-year grants.
Flex awards are offered for teaching and teaching/research grants.
The Flex Award is designed for scholars who require multiple visits to the host country. This option allows grants to be conducted over two or three short segments. Applicants must select Flex in the application form, and clearly describe their plans for Flex in their project statement, including a project timeline. Flex grantees may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host-country academic community.
The award is open to all disciplines
Host universtities will work with grantees to identify appropriate housing within their budgets and other logistics.
The letter is optional as the Embassy prefers scholars to be flexible during the placement period and will arrange host institution affiliation for scholars who do not secure a letter of invitation. For additional information, please contact Ramina Murshudova, Education Specialist at the U.S. Embassy Baku at murshudovar@state.gov.
Most of the public and private universities in Azerbaijan have departments and programs taught in English. Conversational Azerbaijani, Turkish or Russian is recommended, but not required. For research, language proficiency sufficient to complete the proposed project is highly recommended. When applicable, applicants should submit the Self Evaluation section of the Language Proficiency Report. For applicants without local language proficiency, feasibility of conducting the project must be demonstrated in the project statement.
Professional candidates must have at least 2-3 years of relevant experience. Adjunct and community college faculty members are encouraged to apply.
Grant benefits include a monthly maintenance allowance, comprised of a base stipend and living and housing allowances. The base stipend varies based on a scholar's current academic rank (or professional equivalent). Living and housing allowances vary based on the city of placement, and the number of accompanying dependents. Dependent housing and living allowances will not be provided to Flex grantees.
$4,050.
For Flex grants: round trip travel will be included for each segment of the grant for the grantee only.
$1,000 books and educational materials allowance for teaching awards; should be donated to the host institution (or other entity) upon grantee's departure.
Additional living and housing allowance is provided for grantees with one accompanying dependent or two or more accompanying dependents. These amounts range from $200/month to $400/month.
In addition, travel allowances are provided for up to two dependents: $3,000 for one accompanying dependent, and $6,000 for two or more accompanying dependents.
Dependents must accompany the grantee for at least 80% of the period abroad and a minimum of one semester in order to qualify for additional dependent benefits. Dependent benefits are not provided to Flex grantees.
Please refer to the figures above for an estimate of total monthly Fulbright award benefits. Benefits may include a monthly base stipend, living and housing allowances, and additional one-time allowances. Benefits may vary based on a scholar's current academic rank (or professional equivalent), the city of placement, the type of award (teaching, teaching/research, or research), and the number of and duration of stay of accompanying dependents. Research-only or Professional Project grantees receive a standard stipend that is not adjusted for academic rank. In most cases, dependent benefits will not be provided to Flex grantees, or to grantees pursuing grants less than four months (or a semester) in length.
Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State reserves the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.
Azerbaijan
Background on Education in Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan has a multifaceted history, including two periods of independence bracketing seven decades in which it was part of the Soviet Union. Located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, the country shares land borders with Russia, Georgia, Iran, and Armenia, and has a long shoreline with the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan is a secular constitutional democracy, in which the President holds ultimate executive authority and Parliament serves as an administrative power in which the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Cabinet of Ministers govern the centralized education system. While educational strategies, amendments, and legislative matters regarding education are controlled by the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Education (headed by a Fulbright alumnus) is the primary entity responsible for development and implementation of state-wide educational policies.
In Azerbaijan, “university” refers to a four-year entity offering a Bachelor's (Bakalvr) as well as Master’s (Magistr) degree, while “colleges” offer two-year vocational education. Management responsibilities within each higher education institution are divided between appointed rector, vice-rector, and departmental deans. Although higher education in Azerbaijan is based on the Soviet model and many of the institutions still have structures and operations based on the Soviet system, educational modernization is a priority at the government and university level, making this an exciting period to engage with Azerbaijan’s education sector. Efforts at engaging in the Bologna process and Erasmus have aided student mobility to Europe, and many institutions are building partnerships with Western universities. Universities are highly interested in international partnerships, an interest that creates opportunities for forging linkages. For example, a recent Fulbright Scholar initiated fruitful discussions on a joint-degree program between his American institution and the Baku-based university at which he taught.
Language of Instruction: Most public universities have departments and programs in English. All private universities have English as a main language of instruction.
Recent changes in the higher-education system: In 2013, the Ministry of Education adopted and began implementing an ambitious reform program to bring its offerings in line with international leaders. As part of its strategy to improve the quality of teaching and education at its public universities, the Ministry established “SABAH” (“tomorrow”), a program at the country’s 16 higher-education institutions. Over 5, 000 students enrolled in this special program for talented Azerbaijani students with specially trained teachers and professors and a special curriculum offered exclusively to SABAH students, several of which are taught in English. Many departments in public universities, following the example of private schools, opened departments and tracks at which the primary language of instruction is English. Recent changes in the administration of large public universities have led to large-scale reforms on campuses to modernize curriculum, fight corruption, and bring international expertise to improve instruction.
Helpful Links:
Dr. Nabil Al-Tikriti, email: naltikri@umw.edu, Global Education Colloquium, May 2020:
Additional recent alumni:
Dr. Heather DeHaan, email: hdehaan@binghamton.edu
Seminar/Workshop at Khazar University:
Dr. Ali Nejat, email: ali.nejat@ttu.edu
Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.
The best way to obtain a letter of invitation from an Institution is through International offices or university faculty. The Vice-Rector for International Affairs is the best contact to set up the connection with the institution if no other faculty contacts are available.